VALSPAR CHAMPIONSHIP

March 22, 2025

Justin Thomas

Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead)

Quick Quotes

Q. You said yesterday you felt nine holes away from leading the tournament, you're close, you're one back. How do you feel about how today went?

JUSTIN THOMAS: Yeah, I love how obviously how the round finished. I'm proud of my patience. I think it would have been very easy with the start and not making more birdies on that front nine to get a little impatient or kind of start forcing the issue. I said to Rev when we were talking to 10 I was like, You know, let's play this nine holes here to get back in this tournament. And we just, it's not like we necessarily did anything differently, we just kept our head down and just tried to attack when we had chances. Yeah, we got on a little four-hole run there and that can be the difference of sparking an entire week or not. So hopefully that's the one that sparks the week.

Q. You mentioned yesterday you weren't quite sure if you might make the cut, how did you spend yesterday afternoon and did you follow the scores at all?

JUSTIN THOMAS: I did, yeah. My phone did die at one point, so -- and it turned out to not really be close on my end. I think I was shocked as everybody else was, we have seen enough of these to know sometimes when conditions or wind dies or whatever you want to call it, that these guys are really good out here, and they take advantage of it. The course is getting, it's firming up a little bit. I'm excited to see how it's going to play tomorrow. It's going to be a true great test and a lot of people are probably going to have a chance.

Q. Playing three rounds with Jordan in a way do you feel like you're playing head-to-head against him out there in a Saturday two-ball or not quite?

JUSTIN THOMAS: I think both of us would probably be lying if we said no. I mean, he got it going, hopefully Keegan was watching, I think we had a good best ball today (laughing). But, I mean, a little bit. We obviously enjoy each other's company and have played and are comfortable playing with each other and played a lot of golf together. But definitely makes it a lot better when you're out a little earlier than you would like on a Saturday morning, but you can kind of get the crowd into it. And we made a couple putts there on 4 and then he made a long one there on 7 and it seemed like that kind of got the crowd going and that's fun for us.

Q. Do you remember the last time you guys played Thursday, Friday, Saturday together in a tour event?

JUSTIN THOMAS: It's happened? I don't.

Q. 2018 PLAYERS.

JUSTIN THOMAS: There you go. 2018 PLAYERS it is.

Q. You've contended a couple of times this year. How do you spend this afternoon, what do you think you have to do tomorrow in order to seal it?

JUSTIN THOMAS: Well, I mean, the leaders, I don't know when they tee off, but I've done my part. A lot is kind of up to what everybody else does. Hopefully they stay within striking distance. Yeah, regardless, I had a great day today, whether I'm one back, three back, six back, whatever it is, like I'm excited to go out and just try to make as many birdies as I can tomorrow and see where it puts us.

Q. That back nine was there one particular part of your game that was working better than anything else or was it everything together?

JUSTIN THOMAS: No, I mean, I made some great putts. Felt like I was struggling -- I hit some good putts on the front nine. The greens are so pure in the morning, but just with the kind of the less humidity and a little cooler, like they're almost a little stickier with the overseed, so they're not quite as quick as they can get in the afternoon or when it's warmer. So I hit probably two, three putts I feel like if I would have hit harder I would have made. So I tried to consciously just give 'em a little bit more pace on the back nine, and I made some really, really nice putts with the pace that I wanted.